Former South Bay Correction Officer Charged With Raping Inmate
Written by b87fm on 09/21/2025
Inmates seen inside the Harris County Jail on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in Houston.
A former correction officer at Bostonâs South Bay House of Correction is facing serious charges after prosecutors say he raped an inmate while on duty.
William Cooper, 37, of Boston, was arraigned Friday in Suffolk Superior Court on one count of rape of a person in custody, according to the Suffolk County District Attorneyâs Office.
Officials say the incident went down on July 7, when Cooper allegedly took the inmate into a vacant caseworkerâs office near their cell. Prosecutors claim he tried to cover the office window with trash bags to block the view before engaging in sexual activity.
The very next day, the Suffolk County Sheriffâs Department got a tip from a third party. At first, the inmate denied what happened, reportedly out of fear of retaliation. But after being transferred to another facility, they later gave a detailed account of the encounter.
Investigators say Cooper denied everything in his interview, but surveillance footage told a different story. Under Massachusetts law, prisoners cannot legally consent to sexual relations with corrections officers â making the charge non-negotiable.
District Attorney Kevin Hayden released a statement saying: âDetainees are in custody for specific reasons, but they are certainly not there to be victimized by the persons guarding them.â
Cooper, who had only been working at South Bay for two months, is being held on $5,000 bail. Heâs due back in court on October 17.
